EVERYONE seems to rush around with Christmas drinks lists that include champagne, wine, port, sherry and Baileys - but stray to the beer shelves and see the ding dong merrily selection brewed by our innovative British brewers especially for the festive time of year.

One of the great charms of our native tipple is that there are different styles and flavours for every season. And now, of course, 'tis the season to be joyful with some very special brews redolent of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and candied fruit.

Long before wine arrived in this country we brewed ale. In Saxon England they kept a warming vessel of wassail simmering on the hearth at Christmas, prepared from heated ale, roast apples, sugar and spices.

However, the rich heady ales produced by English brewers at Christmas are good for more than just drinking! Try this beery twist to an old favourite.

Or try this beery twist to an old favourite:

Baked apples stuffed with fruit steeped in Christmas ale

Serves 6

6 large Bramleys

100g (4oz) mixed dried fruit

50g (2oz) stoned dates, chopped

50g (2oz) walnuts, chopped

300ml (half pint) Christmas or winter ale

6 walnut halves

50g (2oz) dark brown sugar

Mix dried fruit and dates in a bowl and pour over the ale. Leave to soak in the fridge for 48 hours until the fruit is swollen with the beer. Drain, retaining liquor.

Wash and core the apples and cut a line round the diameter of each with a sharp knife. Mix beer soaked fruit with chopped walnuts and half the sugar and use to stuff the apples; place in a butter=greased ovenproof dish and pour over enough of the retained liquor to come about 1cm (half inch) up the apples. Scatter any left-over mixed fruit around them.

Bake in the centre of a hot oven (400F, 200C, gas mark 6) for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and place a half walnut on top of each where the apple stalk was, sprinkling it with brown sugar, then return to the over for another 30 minutes until the apple is puffed up and marshmallow soft, the ale turned to a toffee syrup. Serve piping hot with a dollop of chilled clotted cream, or custard containing any leftover marinating beer.

*Susan Nowak is author of The Beer Cook Book.

For more on Christmas Ale, see the Beer Guide.

December 19, 2001 11:30